MQM’s name, electoral symbol to remain same, say MQM-P leaders

KARACHI: Name of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and party symbol (Kite) will remain the same and this should be clear to all, said MQM-Pakistan (MQM-P) leaders on Thursday.

“People should understand this loud and clear that MQM’s name, manifesto and electoral symbol will remain the same come what may,” said MQM-P leader Ameen-ul-Haq while addressing a presser along Leader of Opposition in Sindh Assembly Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan in Karachi.

Referring to MQM-P’s alliance with Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP), he said they would sit and consult with the other parties also that were working for betterment of Karachi and other urban areas of Sindh.

In an unexpected turn of events for Karachi politics, rival parties PSP and MQM-P on Wednesday announced to form a political alliance and vowed to contest next general elections under “one banner, name, manifesto and electoral symbol”.

Addressing a joint press conference at Karachi Press Club, MQM-P chief and PSP chief Mustafa Kamal announced the merger of the two parties who were once part of Altaf Hussain-led MQM.

“To solve problems of people of Karachi through collective efforts and to further our agenda of non-violence, we have decided to form a political alliance. We will decide the name and modalities of this alliance in future but one thing is for sure, we will contest next general elections under one name, one banner, one manifesto and one electoral symbol,” Farooq Sattar.

However, Izhar seemed to be detracting from Farooq Sattar’s announcement and gave new meaning to the alliance.

Izhar said for the last one day rumours and negative campaign were being spread against them, while MQM-P had rooted out harshness and detestation from politics. He said political parties should sit together and talk on reconciliation.

To another query, he said neither it was decided that PSP would be dissolved nor they were withdrawing from MQM-P, so there was no such question of wheter Farooq Sattar took them into confidence or not.

“MQM-P is a political reality and whoever needs to join should join us,” he said.

He said a very important MQM-P Rabita Committee meeting was going to be held and formal course of action would be announced following the meeting.

To a query, he said MQM-P leader Amir Khan was not present in the meeting that decided to make alliance with the PSP, therefore many things could not be cleared to him through media reports and he had expressed apprehensions. He had had talked to Amir on phone, he would be arriving on Thursday and things would further be clarified to him, he said.